The Kindness Club: The Great Bell Chant

 Today at the Kindness Club we watched this short 7 minute video called The Great Bell Chant (the end of suffering).    It’s read by Thich Nath Hanh and chanting is by brother Phap Niem. 

The Kindness Club: What Is Your Life's Purpose?

Today we watched a video called, "Seek Life’s Purpose with Your Guardian Spirit," by The Honest Guys.  They are two brothers from the UK who have been creating meditations since 2009.  You can find them on the web and they also have a channel on YouTube.

Like most of us, I have often asked myself  – what is my true life purpose? Am I fulfilling that purpose to the best of my capacity, or do I avoid it by being busy and distracted out of fear of failure or not measuring up? 

When I was a mother of young children, my purpose was clear – take care of their needs, teach them good values, encourage their natural curiosity, and love them in all the best ways I could. At other times, I found satisfaction and personal fulfillment by writing, being a mentor to those in 12 step programs, activism in social justice causes, and being a loyal friend and confidante to loved ones.  But were these really my life’s purposes?  

Yes, because one's true purpose is about recognizing your own gifts and using them to contribute to the world.  Pablo Picasso once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift.  The purpose of life is to give it away.”

We are all continually evolving and growing as we make our way through life, and so it is important that we remain open to continually discovering - and giving away - our gifts.

The Kindness Club: Breaking the Spell of Negative Emotions

Today we enjoyed a video called, "Breaking the Spell of Negative Emotions," by Sam Harris.  Anna has been talking to us about thoughts and mindfulness recently, and this fit nicely into that program.  

Sam Harris is a well-known author with a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. He has practiced meditation for more than 30 years and has studied with many Tibetan, Indian, Burmese, and Western meditation teachers, both in the United States and abroad.

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The Kindness Club: Somatic Breathing

 On Monday, we enjoyed a video called, "Somatic Meditation" by Dr. Raymond Ray who taught us a practice called Twelve Fold Lower Belly Breathing.  He showed us how the lower belly is our core and the universal life source we share with our fellow beings.  

Kindness Club Now on Mondays at 1pm

 

Please note there will be no Kindness Club on Sunday, 9/6/2020.  We look forward to seeing you at our new day and time on Mondays at 1pm.  ♥

Kindness Club: Dr. Kristin Neff's talk on Self-Compassion

"When the sunshine of loving kindness meets the tears of suffering, the rainbow of compassion appears." 

Compassion is feeling the suffering of others, being open to their pain. But expressing compassion to ourselves might be something new to many of us. When we are self-compassionate, we treat ourselves in the same way we would a loved one who is suffering. When we practice self-compassion, we realize we are not a bad person, we are simply a person who sometimes makes mistakes or has poor judgment. When we practice self-compassion, it is safe to make mistakes, and easier to own up to them. 

Kristin offered this practice when facing a difficult situation: 

Close your eyes 

Put your hands over your heart 

Say, I am struggling right now 

Say, Suffering is a part of life. It is part of our common humanity. It is natural to have things like this happen in the course of one’s life. I am not alone.

 

Say, I am imperfect and that’s okay. I accept myself for who I am. 

Say, may I be kind to myself. Repeat as many times as necessary until you feel a calmness in your body. 

Say, I’m sorry this is so hard for you. Im here for you. What can I do to help? (What would you say to a friend who was having the same issue? What tone of voice would you have? Say something similar to yourself.) 

Say, I love you. 

Kristin Neff has some great resources to offer, including a quiz you can take to determine how self-compassionate you are on her website: https://self-compassion.org/

Kindness Club: Guided Meditation for Confidence, Self Love and Better Self-Esteem

 This uplifting guided meditation by Linda Hall focuses on confidence, self love and self esteem.  Please join us next Sunday at 10:00 am SLT for another great video!

Kindness Club: Breaking Addiction to Negative Thinking

 Today at Kindness Club we enjoyed a talk from Eckhart Tolle about breaking addiction to negative thinking.  Tolle tells us that our brains become trained to feel rewarded by negative thinking and that even when there is nothing "wrong" in our worlds, we still have a tendency to seek out the negative.  Great video, only 14 minutes long, and Eckhart is lovely, funny and gentle as always. 

Ho'oponopono for Self Love & Radical Forgiveness

 Ho'oponopono for Self Love & Radical Forgiveness

Today's Kindness Club video was a beautiful guided meditation based on the Hawaiian prayer, Ho'oponopono, led by Sandra Rolus.  On the YouTube page, Sandra tells us:

Ho'oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice of forgiveness and reconciliation. Traditionally, it was practiced by family members for a person who was physically ill as it was thought that guilt over errors the person had committed had made them sick. Modern researchers have found that the applications of Ho'oponopono can have far-reaching implications and can be used in any situation, problem, issue, relationship or concern, simply by using your intention and attention to use these 4 key mantras for healing all relationships and for manifestations of abundance and prosperity in all areas of your life.   

I am sorry.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

I thank you. 

Please join us next Sunday at 10am at the Soul Meet pavilion for another video.

Namaste,

Juju

The Kindness Club: Introduction and Sund 8/2

The Kindness Club with Juju!

The Kindness Club is a weekly video series on Sundays at 10am SLT.  We may add more days and times in the future so please keep a look-out.  The videos will feature various topics related to mindfulness and becoming the best version of ourselves - there will be talks, lessons, and guided meditations from a variety of sources.  A notecard will go out with the group notice prior to each event with instructions on how to watch the video when you arrive at the Center.  (Please note, you must be a member of the Center for Mindfulness group in order to participate.)

Your suggestions for videos we can all enjoy together are very welcome!  Please send an NC or IM to my legacy name, Moldylocks with the YouTube link.  At the moment, YouTube is the only format that's supported.

Namaste,

Juju Ijinn